Card sorting device



March 8, 1949. CONNOR CARD SORTING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed pril 3,1944 Rose-Q Co/v/voe,

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CARD SORTING DEVICE Filed April 5, 1944 v 4 Sheets-Sheet? 4%652Cb/v/vo/e, INVENTOR ATTORNEY March 8, 1949. R. CONNOR CARD SORTINGDEVICE Filed April :5, 1944 '4 Sheets-Sheet 5 000 000 0000000000 00 5 f200 00 00 00 fig 00 0 8 n.

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INVENTORV ATTORNEY March 8, 1949. R. CONNOR CARD SORTING DEVICE 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 3, 1944 foes/e CON/Vole,

ATI'ORNEY Patented Mar. 8, 1949 CARD SORTING DEVICE Roger Connor,Athens, Ohio, assignor to The McBee Company, Athens, Ohio, a corporationApplication April 8, 1944, Serial No. 529,378

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to devices for selectively sorting cards of thetype widely known commercially as fKeysort cards.

Cards of the type referred to are provided along one or more edges withone or more rows of perforations which are grouped and identified bysuitable indicia to represent desired classifications.

In practice, a plurality of these perforations are notched or slottedout to the edge of the card, forming a pattern of notches or slotspertaining to a single classification. The cards when thus notched orslotted may be selectively sorted .by passing one or more sorting rodsthrough the selected perforations of a group of cards, whichperforations representing the desired classification. By then elevatingthe sorting rod or rods, the cards having notches or slots coincidingwith the perforations penetrated by the rod or rods will disengage fromthe rods, while the remainder of the cards will remain suspended fromthe rod or rods. Thus, the cards of one or more selected classificationsare sorted from a stack of cards.

It is the principal object of my present invention to provide animproved sorting device for such cards to enable sorting of a relativelysmall number of cards from a great number thereof to be accomplishedmore expeditiously than heretofore. n

One form which the invention may assume is exemplified in the followingdescription and illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a card sorting device embodying thepreferred form of my invention, shown in the position to receive thecards for sorting.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my card sorting device shown in theposition it assumes when the sorted cards are disengaged from theremainder of the stack of cards.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of my card sorting device, showing it in theposition it assumes when sorted cards are disengaged from the remainderof the stack.

Fig. 4 is a similar view partly broken away, showing the device in theposition which it assumes to receive cards for sorting.

Fig, 5 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the selector rod holderof the device.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, in indicates aselective sorting device for cards of the character commercially knownas Keysort cards. These cards, as previously set forth, are edge-punchedcards, the

punchings of which are notched out to the edge in patterns to representa desired classification. The card sorting device I0 is what is known asa selective sorting device by means of which punched and notched cardsof one or more selected classifications may be separated from a stack ofcards. The sorting device I0 is of a construction, size and weight thatit is portable and may be ordinarily disposed on a desk or table top foruse.

The device [0 is composed of a rigid frame ll having suspended therein arotatable card receiving tray l2. The frame II is formed of a fiat base14 of dimensions sufficient to properly support the device Ill on a deskor table top. At one end of the base and extending vertically therefromis an end frame l5 to which the card receiving tray I2 is rotatablyconnected for rotation in a vertical plane about a horizontal axis, aswill be described.

The card receiving tray l comprises a fiat bottom plate l6 having largeopenings l1 formed therein. At one end of the bot in plate I6 is avertically extending end plate I which is disposed adjacent to and inparall lism with the end frame l5 of the frame II. A pintle I9 extendshorizontally between the end frame l5 and the end plate l8 of the trayl2 to rotatably connect the same and thereby rotatably suspend the cardreceiving tray 12 within the frame ll, so that it may revolve in avertical plane about a horizontal axis. At the front end of the bottomplate I6 is a vertically extending aligning plate 20, extending, ofcourse, at right angles to the end plate I8. The end plate [8 and thealigning plate 20 do, of course,-- extend at right angles to the face ofthe bottom plate l8.

It is intended, as illustrated, to position a stack of cards to besorted in the tray in parallelism with the end plate i8 with the frontends of the cards abutting the aligning plate 20. Such abutment willcause proper relative alignment of the cards and proper alignment of theperforations or punchings therein with the end plate l8 and a selectorrod guide 2|. This selector rod guide 2| is disposed at the end of thebottom plate l6 opposite the end plate l8 in parallelism with thelatter, and it is composed, as illustrated, of two spaced but parallelplates 22. The selector rod guide 2| is formed with a plurality ofperforations 23 so disposed relative to the face of the bottom plate l6and the aligning plate 20 that they will register with the perforationsin the cards of the stack disposed in the tray ii. That is to say, theperforations 23 in the selector rod guide 2I are complementary to theperforations of cards to be sorted in the tray I2. The end plate I8 isformed with similar perforations 24 which are likewise disposed so as tobe complementary to and register with the perforations in the cards tobe sorted, when the latter are disposed in the tray I2, as previouslydescribed.

Thus, it is seen that when cards A are disposed in the tray I2 inparallelism with the end plate I8 and with their ends abutted againstthe aligning plate 20, that the perforations in the cards in the endplate I8 and in the selector rod guide 2| will be in register so thatone or more selector rods 25 may be projected through the selector rodguide 2I, the cards and the end plate I8. When selector rods are soprojected or positioned, they will be supported at one end, of course,by the selector rod guide 2I and at the other end by the end plate I8.

To properly manipulate the selector rods 25 and to maintain them in aselected pattern for sorting, I provide a selector rod holder 26, whichis more clearly illustrated in Fig. of the drawings. This selector rodholder 26 comprises an elongated member 21, which is perforatedcomplementary to the selector rod guide 2| and, consequently, to thecards to be sorted. Further, the member 21 is at all times inalignmentwith the selector rod guide 2| and is perforated in identicallythe same fashion with the perforations in longitudinal alignment.

The selector rods 25 are provided with en larged heads 28 which will notpass through the perforations in the member 21. Therefore, the selectorrods 25 may be projected endwise through the member 21 and into thecorresponding perforations in the selector rod guide 21, the spacing andpositioning of the selector rods 25 being, of course, determined by theselected classification.

To maintain the selector rods 25' from endwise movement a hinged coverplate 29 is fitted to the selector rod holder 26 so that after the rodshave been positioned, this cover plate 29 may be disposed as illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2 to prevent endwise movement of the selector rods byclamping the heads 28 thereof to the face of the member 21.

The selector rod holder 26 is connected by two telescoping slides 30 tothe bottom of the card receiving tray I2. These telescoping and guidingslides 38 extend longitudinally of the card receiving tray I2 and enablethe selector rod holder 26 to be ,moved longitudinally relative to thetray I2. The amount of movement permitted the selector rod holder 26 issufllcient to enable the selector rods 25 to project entirely through astack of cards disposed in the tray I2 and into the end plate I8 and tobe completely disengaged from such stack of cards upon oppositemovement. The construction of the telescoping slides 80 is conventionaland for this reason their construction is not further illustrated ordescribed.

It is desirable to aid in the alignment of the cards that the cardreceiving-tray I2 be disposed at an acute angle to the horizontal whenin card receiving position, as shown in Fig. 4. For this reason a stopmember 3| is fitted to the end frame I5 at a point that it will beengaged by the top edge of the end plate I8 of the tray I2, asillustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, when the tray I2 is in card receivingposition. Also, the end plate I8 is fitted with an arcuate latch plate32 which is fastened to the end plate I6 concentric to the pintle I8. Alatch finger 83 is fitted to the top of the end frame member I5 toengage a notch 34 in the latch plate 32, when the card receiving tray I2is in the card receiving position. The construction of the latch finger33 and the notch 34 is such that disengagement may be readily effectedwhen desired by merely grasping the card receiving tray and revolving itin a clockwise direction as it appears in Fig. 4.

The position of the stop member 8| is such that when the card receivingtray I2 is inverted to disengage the selected cards from the remainderof the stack, the opposite end of the edge plate I8 will abut againstthe member 3|, as illustrated in Fig. 3. If desired, a slight jarringaction may be produced by impacting the end plate I8 against the member3 l when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3. I also desire topoint out that the openings I! in the bottom plate I6 enable theoperator to manually manipulate the cards, if found necessary ordesirable.

In operation of the device, it is constructed and assembledsubstantially as illustrated and described, and when it is desired tosort cards, the selector rod holder is withdrawn, as shown in Fig. 1,and the cover plate 29 upraised to expose the perforations in the member21 of the holder 26. Selector rods 25 may then be inserted through theselected perforations to form a pattern agree ing with the patternnecessary to select desired classifications from the cards to be sorted.The cover plate 29 is then repositioned to latch the selector rods 25 tothe selector rod holder 26. The cards A to be sorted are then iserted inthe tray I2 against the end plate I8 and with their ends abuttingagainst the aligning plate 28. Thus, the cards A will extendtransversely of the card receiving tray with the perforations alongtheir lower edge registering with the perforations in the end plate I8,the selector rod guide 2| and the selector rod holder 26.

When the cards are so disposed in the tray, the

selector rod holder is moved longitudinally of the tray in a directioncausing the selector rods 25 to penetrate through the selectedperforations in the stack of cards in the tray and then penetrate intothe end plate I8. The operator then revolves the tray I2 about thepintle I9 to the position shown in Fig. 3, at which time those cards Bhaving notches aligned with the perforations through which the selectorrods 25 project will drop from the stack and tray and deposit on thebase plate I4 in the frame II, as shown in Fig. 3. The remaining cardsin the stack, of course, will be held suspended in the tray by theselector rods 25. The operator then removes the cards B which havedropped or have been selected from the stack from the frame and returnsthe tray to the starting position, as illustrated in Fig. 4. At thispoint the operator moves the selector rod holder 26 to the left andlongitudinally of the tray I2, disengaging the selector rods 25 from theremainder of the cards A in the stack, permitting those cards to beremoved.

The operation just described is then repeated on succeeding stacks orbatches of cards until they have been allsorted. Obviously, any desiredclassification or classifications may be selected by merely changing thepositions of the selector rods 25 to correspond with the desiredclassification or classifications.

cially as "Keysort cards. It will be apparent from the foregoing andfrom the drawings that by means of my improved device selective sortingof a relatively few of a large stack of cards may be rapidly andaccurately accomplished in a comparatively short time.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is to beunderstood that various changes may be made in its construction by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a card sorting device, an L-shaped frame consisting of ahorizontally disposed base and a vertically disposed support member, atray pivoted to the said support member for rotation about a horizontalaxis, cooperating means on the frame and tray whereby the latter islimited to clockwise and counterclockwise rotational movementapproximately 180 degrees between two different positions with respectto the frame, a selector rod guide on the tray, a plurality of sortingrods guided in said guide for movement in a direction parallel to theaxis of rotation of the tray, a holder removably connected with saidsorting rods, and telescopic connections between said holder and thetray to enable movement of the holder in a direction parallel to thedirection of movement of the sorting rods.

2. In a card sorting device, an L-shaped frame consisting of ahorizontally disposed base and a vertically disposed support member, atray consisting of an open frame base, an end wall and a side wall, saidtray being pivoted to the support member for rotation about a horizontalaxis, cooperatin means on the frame and tray whereby the latter islimited to clockwise and counterclockwise rotational movement betweentwo different positions with respect to the frame, a selector rod guideon the tray, a plurality of sorting rods guided in said guide formovement in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the tray, a.holder removably connected with said sorting rods, and telescopicconnections between said holder and the tray to enable movement of theholder in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of thesorting rods.

3'. In a card sorting device, an L-shaped frame consisting of ahorizontally disposed frame consisting of a horizontally disposed baseand a vertically disposed support member, a tray consisting of anopen-frame base, an end wall and a side wall, said side wall beinpivoted to the support member whereby the tray is rotatable on ahorizontal axis in relation to the frame, cooperating means on the frameand tray whereby the latter is limited to clockwise andcounter-clockwise rotational movement between two different positionswith respect to the frame, a selector rod guide on the tray, a pluralityof sorting rods guided in said guide for movement in a directionparallel to the axis of rotation of the tray, a holder removablyconnected with said sorting rods, and telescopic connections betweensaid holder and the tray to enable movement of the holder in a directionparallel to the direction of movement of the sorting rods.

4. In a card sorting device, an L-shaped frame consisting of ahorizontally disposed frame consisting of a horizontally disposed baseand a vertically disposed support member, a tray consisting of anopen-frame base, an end wall and a side wall, said side wall beingpivoted to the support member whereby the tray is rotatable on ahorizontal axis in relation to the frame, cooperating means on the frameand tray whereby the latter is limited to clockwise and counterclockwiserotational movement between two different positions with respect to theframe, a selector rod guide mounted on said open-frame base, a pluralityof sorting rods guided in said guide for movement in a directionparallel to the axis of rotation of the tray, a holder removablyconnected with said sorting rods, and telescopic connections betweensaid holder and the tray to enable movement of the holder in a directionparallel to the direction of movement of the sorting rods.

ROGER CONNOR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS -Date

